


Treasure

by SecretlyAFrogman



Series: Summer of Akiham [1]
Category: Persona 3
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-01
Updated: 2019-06-01
Packaged: 2020-04-06 06:26:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19057057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SecretlyAFrogman/pseuds/SecretlyAFrogman
Summary: Sometimes the most precious treasures aren't always obvious to us. Part of the Summer of Akiham series!





	Treasure

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to the first in a collection that I like to call "Summer of Akiham!" It's a where I write and public an Akiham fic with at least 1000 words every day during the months of June and July. I recently played Persona 3 Portable and finished it about a month ago and both Akihiko and Minako stole my heart. So in honor of my OTP, I wish to show them some love the best way I know how. 
> 
> Before you read, please be warned there are major spoilers to the plot of Persona 3 in these fics. This one also has a major character death and isn't the happiest of stories. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy! And thanks for embarking on this journey with me!

She was his treasure. 

Not like a diamond ring. Not like a perfectly wrapped gift that one would receive on their birthday. Not like the ones that were found on the floors of Tartarus, some gleaming gold that held a most precious item inside. No, Minako was so much more to Akihiko. So much that words couldn’t even begin to describe and others around him couldn’t even begin to comprehend. 

What was it that he loved about her? Could he even say? There were so many small things that even if he began to list them off, others would stare in shock and confusion at the idea that such little details could be the ones that he loved most about her. 

The way she smiled at him after he landed a critical hit on an enemy and bested them in Tartarus. 

The way she giggled when he told a bad joke, often poking his nose and telling him to try better next time. 

The way she cried when others around her were hurt, quickly jumping in with immediate first aid to make sure that they were taken care of. 

The way her eyes lit up when he presented her with the stuffed bunny that he had bought for her because it had reminded him of her. 

The small sound she made when he kissed her lips and the lovely sigh when he wrapped his arms around her and told her that he loved her. 

These were the moments that only Akihiko was blessed enough to witness, the moments where being alone with her were nothing more than heaven on earth. After everything that had happened to both Shinji and Miki, it was hard for him to want to continue fighting at times. Although he knew giving up wouldn’t prove anything, he still felt tired and defeated and found himself breaking down when he thought no one was looking. 

But she always was. She was always there to comfort him, to hold his hands tightly and to kiss away his silent tears as they fell. She was always there to help him smile again, to take his breath away with words of encouragement and actions that spoke louder than anything that he could ever hope to mutter past his lips. 

He often wondered if she saw him the same way that he saw her. Wondered if the feelings that fluttered in his heart were only felt on his side. But then she would tell him that she loved him, would run a hand through his short hair and kiss his lips softly. It was as if everything that she felt manifested into that one kiss and passed onto him and he knew, he knew that she was the only one for him. 

And then one night, the night before the final battle with Nyx, he spoke the words that he was afraid may end everything. 

“Stay with me, Minako. Even after the battle is over. I don’t want to lose you.” 

A soft sigh and giggle left those parted lips. 

“Aki, you already know the answer to that. Why are you worrying so much?” 

“I’m not sure…” He admitted as he turned over on his side and pulled her into his strong arms, hands resting on the small of her back. “Sorry. After everything that’s happened, I can’t help but think that something may happen to you, too.” 

Minako shook her head, burying it in his chest and inhaling his musky yet pleasant scent. “Trust your battle leader. Nothing is going to happen to me. Nothing is going to happen to us. We’ll find a way to defeat Nyx and end the Dark Hour.” A soft kiss right in the middle of his chest. “Do you remember the day that I told you I wanted to be your girl?” 

Aki blinked, almost shocked by the question. “H-How could I forget? I glared at you because I was nervous and thought it was acceptable. In all honesty, I just didn’t know how to approach my feelings for you. I had never felt love for another before besides my sister and Shinji, but this was completely different. I didn’t think that I needed to be with anyone ever. I didn’t think I wanted to get married. But then I met you…” 

“... And everything changed.” Minako glanced up at him, red eyes meeting gray eyes as a soft and sweet smile passed over her pink lips. “Are you saying that you want to get married, Aki? To me?” 

He fumbled with his words. “M-M-Minako! D-Don’t think that…” 

A laugh left the girl’s lips as she shook her head. “I knew that would get you flustere… Ah!” A sharp pinch brought her back to her senses. “In all seriousness, it might be nice one day. Getting married, being a family, having kids… Maybe it’s in the future for both of us.” 

Akihiko allowed himself to relax, pulling her closer to him as he felt the tides of sleep beginning to nip at his heels. His eyes fluttered closed as he gave her forehead one last kiss. “Let’s defeat Nyx and then decide where to go from there. But if all goes well, let’s promise ourselves that we’ll try and come to that goal. I love you, Minako.” 

Minako relaxed in his arms, allowing sleep to come over her as well. “Yes. I would like that. I love you, too…” 

\------  
She was his treasure. 

A treasure that he thought would never be taken away. 

A treasure that he thought he would never have to say goodbye to. 

But as her coffin was lowered down into the earth and her friends around him sobbed, he realized the real treasure wasn’t her, but the time they had been able to spend together. The memories that would forever paint an impression on him as he tried to move forward after his loss.

Time is not something that can be reverted. It will forever move on to the beat of its own drum, dragging us along for the ride no matter how painful it might be. But for Akihiko, it meant that he would have more time to think of her. More time to think of everything they accomplished together and the battles that they came out of victorious. And while others would allow her to fade into obscurity, he would never forget the girl that changed his life forever. And that was more precious than any treasure that money could buy.

**Author's Note:**

> Well, no one said it was going to start off happily. 
> 
> If you want daily updates, please feel free to follow me on my Twitter! 
> 
>  
> 
> <https://twitter.com/RunWithThHunted>


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